Microelectronic devices such as integrated circuits are widely used in consumer and industrial products. One widely used microelectronic device is a microelectronic memory device that includes unit cells for storing information therein. An example of a conventional microelectronic memory device is a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) which typically has a unit cell comprising a Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) transistor and a capacitor for storing information. Due to the increased integration of microelectronic devices, the potential memory space available in the unit cell may be decreasing. Thus, efforts have been made to increase the effective surface area of the capacitor. One effort, for example, has focused on employing different materials in the capacitor.
Another attempt at potentially increasing the capacitance relates to etching the lower side of the storage electrode which is used as the lower electrode of the capacitor, and forming a hemispherical-shaped grained silicon (HSG-Si) layer containing polysilicon on the lower electrode surface.
In general, the fabrication of highly integrated microelectronic devices typically involves the formation of undesired contaminants such as, for example, particles, metal impurities, organic materials, moisture, and the like, along with a native oxide film. It is usually desirable to remove these contaminants by employing a conventional cleaning composition. One example of a conventional cleaning composition is a mixture of ammonium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, and water ("SC-1"). Notwithstanding any potential advantages associated with using SC-1, problems may occur when using the composition on a device containing an HSG-Si layer. For example, the SC-1 solution often excessively consumes the HSG-Si layer. In this instance, an oxide film typically containing SiO.sub.2 may form on the surface of HSG-Si film typically via the reaction between the hydrogen peroxide in the SC-1 and the silicon in the HSG-Si film. Hydrogen peroxide is ionized according to reaction (I) and the silicon reacts with the ionized product and hydrogen peroxide as illustrated in reactions (II) and (Ill): ##STR1##
It is typically desirable to remove the silicon dioxide film formed by the above reactions. In doing so, however, the effective area of the capacitor present on the surface of the HSG-Si film is often decreased. Thus, it would be desirable to obtain cleaning compositions and methods of using the same which may allow for removal of a silicon dioxide film without excessive loss of capacitor area.